Nutrition and health claims: the role of food composition data

Regulation on nutrition and health claims number (EC) No. 1924/2006 came into force in the European Union (EU) in 2007. The Regulation aims to ensure that claims are truthful and do not mislead consumers. It also aims to stimulate innovation to produce healthier food products in the food industry. Nutrition claims are defined in an annex to the Regulation that states the wording of permitted claims and the conditions of use. The scientific support for potential health claims is being assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), but consideration of other aspects and the final decision to accept or reject a claim lies with the European Commission. The final list of approved health claims was due to be published in early 2010, but work is behind schedule, and therefore decisions are being published in batches; the first batch of Article 13 claims based on generally accepted science was published in October 2009. Food composition data are vital in making accurate claims on food as the amount of the nutrient or food component in question must be defined. It is also important that the composition of a particular food or food category has been sufficiently defined in order for a health claim pertaining to this to be approved. In addition, to prevent claims being made on foods with a less healthy profile, nutrient profiles are being developed that will specify threshold amounts of saturated fat, sodium and sugar present in any product bearing a nutrition or health claim, and thus the composition of a food will be critical in determining whether it is eligible to carry a claim. Therefore, the access that the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) will provide to pan-European food composition data will be of great importance in making the Regulation workable. EuroFIR has been actively involved in EFSA's work on nutrient profiles, supplying data that have been used to develop the current profiling model. It is hoped that the EuroFIR Network and the not-for-profit organisation EuroFIR AISBL (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif, that has been established to take forward EuroFIR's work) can continue to provide guidance to stakeholders as the Regulation develops.